What Happens When Players Don't Play in Real Life

Real-World Player Availability

WLM uses real-world data, so what happens in real football affects your players.

Scenario 1: No Real-World Fixture

If your player's real club doesn't have a match that week, the system randomly selects one of their last 5 real-world matches and uses those stats instead. This means your player still contributes - just based on a recent past performance rather than a live one. However, they also receive a Match Fitness (MFit) penalty, which reduces their PS contribution slightly.

If the player doesn't have any recent match history at all, they fall back to an estimated rating based on overall form.

Scenario 2: Real-World Fixture but Not Selected

If their real club plays but the player isn't in the starting lineup or used as a sub:

• The system attempts to auto-substitute a bench player in the same position type
• If a valid substitute exists, they come on instead
• If no valid sub exists, the benched starter plays with a 40% PS penalty

Scenario 3: Player is Injured or Suspended IRL

Similar to not being selected - the auto-sub system will try to replace them. Keep a strong bench to protect against these scenarios.

Tips

• Keep squad depth in every position to handle real-world absences
• Check the real-world fixture calendar to anticipate blank gameweeks
• Players with consistent game time are more reliable selections
• Consider rotating players from leagues with winter breaks